International Naval Journal, 2019, 7(1) Copyright © 2019 by Academic Publishing House Researcher s.r.o. Published in the Slovak Republic International Naval Journal Has been issued since 2013. E-ISSN: 2413-7596 2019, 7(1): 3-63 DOI: 10.13187/inj.2019.1.3 www.ejournal37.com Articles and Statements Swansong: Blakely, Brooke and Vavasseur. Part 2* Kent R. Crawford a , *, Donald E. Carlucci b a Gunnery Fire Control Group, Indianapolis (IN), USA b Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken (NJ), USA Abstract The decades of the 1860s and 1870s were characterized by one of the most thorough-going Technical Revolutions the world had ever seen, which has been characterized as the ‘Second Industrial Revolution.’ And this Revolution affected the world’s Navies no less than every other human endeavor. In the field of ordnance, iron smooth-bore cannon firing solid round shot were replaced by rifled cannon, initially to lob elongated exploding shell with greater accuracy, but soon firing elongated solid shot needed to pierce armor plate. History recalls the many designers and/or manufacturers of the Great Guns. Yet the work of lesser known figures has been overlooked. This is a continuation of the story of Captain A.T. Blakely, R.A. by examining the work of John Mercer Brooke, a licensee, and his successor, Josiah Vavasseur. Context is provided by an examination of the gradual abandonment of the Armstrong System reliance on wrought iron and the eventual adoption of steel by the British Government. Keywords: Naval, artillery, Blakeley, gun. John Mercer Brooke’s career as an ordnance designer and chief of the Confederate Navy’s Bureau of Ordnance ended in the chaos and confusion of the collapse of the Confederacy in April 1865. But during that brief four years, he made what should be considered an indelible mark in the history of ordnance technology, especially considering the constraints imposed by the Confederacy’s limited technical and industrial base. Brooke labored under the limitation of only having cast iron, though of high quality, to work with, and only wrought iron available for the reinforce/hoops/bands. What little steel that was available in the Confederacy was of the ‘puddle’ variety and in insufficient quantity for use in heavy ordnance. And as the war continued, brass/bronze became in short supply. In addition, the capacity to produce wrought iron bands of greater than two inches thick and six inches wide was virtually non-existent, though in compensation, the use of scientifically and mathematically ‘adjusted’ hoops produced sufficient initial tension and hence greater strength compared to the contemporary Parrott guns. *Continue, See part 1 on International Naval Journal. 2018 * Corresponding author E-mail addresses: [email protected] (K.R. Crawford), [email protected] (D.E. Carlucci) 3 International Naval Journal, 2019, 7(1) In addition to a few ‘Blakely Conversions’ – invariably called ‘Brooke Conversions,’ which included the first seven 7in Single Banded guns converted from Dahlgren 9in blocks – he designed a ‘family’ of Great Guns that were the best of the type in either side of the conflict. These ranged from 6.4in Single Banded to 11in Triple Banded. He also designed numerous projectiles and gas checks, and was responsible for approving projectile and gas check designs for use in rifled naval guns of all sizes. He is also credited, quite erroneously, with virtually every rifled and banded smooth-bore in Confederate military service. And given the Confederacy’s great need for rifled artillery, there were many such guns, ranging from field guns to 10in Rodman ‘Columbiads.’ To be accurately classified as a ‘Brooke’ – more appropriately a ‘Blakely’ – Conversion, three criteria must be applied: First, the gun must be either newly cast or a block (cast but not bored out). This is necessary to avoid any cracks or dents that invariably and inevitably result from use over time, and why merely rifling an existing smooth-bore is considered ‘weaker’ than a new gun, and not able to get the full advantage of the initial tension from the reinforce. Second, Brooke was Navy, not Army, meaning the guns were for use by the Navy. The sole exception was a small lot of newly cast 42pdr 7in guns cast by the Tredegar and Bellona foundries in 1861, probably not more than 14 pieces in all. Perhaps ten of these guns were used to arm an ironclad of the naval squadron defending Charleston. Third, and unique to the Confederacy, Brooke specified the hook-slant rifling favored by Blakely. This limits the number of rifling facilities to two; Tredegar and the Naval Ordnance Works, both in Richmond, Virginia. That number would be expanded to three when the new Selma Ordnance Works began operation in 1863. James Eason and Brothers Foundry of Charleston rifled and banded a considerable number of guns during the war, including a number of 42pdrs, but used Parrott rifling. Fig 1. Confederate Banded 12pdr Napoleon Excluding the various ‘Conversions’ – seven IX inch Dahlgrens into 7in Single Banded rifles, perhaps fourteen 42pdr 7in 3.79 T smooth-bores into 7in 4.24 T rifles, and an unknown but substantial number of 32 pdr 57 cwt smooth-bores into 6.4 in 61 cwt rifles – very few actual Brooke pattern guns were produced during the war. Only 306 guns were cast, compared to 585 Parrott 100pdr 6.4in guns alone produced during the war, 352 of which for the Navy. Tredegar cast eleven 6.4 in Single Banded guns through October 1862, when Secretary of the Navy Stephan Mallory mandated the change to Double Banded. An additional three under construction were then altered to be Double Banded. Tredegar produced a total of 27 Double Banded, including the three mentioned above, from November 1862 to 1864 when production of the type ceased. 4 International Naval Journal, 2019, 7(1) Fig 2. Confederate banded and rifled 12pdr naval gun The new Selma Ordnance Works cast 27 of the Double Banded pattern, but delivered only 15. The remaining 12 exhibited flaws in the casting; likely cracks or fissures caused by uneven cooling, and were deemed unsuitable for withstanding the pressures and strains of firing heavy rifled projectiles. Five of these were bored up to 8in caliber for use as smooth-bores, having been deemed to be strong enough for such use. This implies that the flaws were relatively shallow and could be eliminated by the 1.6in increase in the bore. The fate of the other seven is unknown. Tredegar produced 19 of the 7in Single Banded pattern in 1862 prior to the change to the Double Banded pattern. Tredegar produced 36 of the 7in Double Banded pattern from November 1862 to early 1865. Selma cast 54 to that pattern, but due to casting flaws only delivered 39. Attempts to bore these up to 9in failed, implying that the flaws were too deep and/or the barrel would be too weak after losing two inches of metal. Only three of the superb 7in Triple Banded pattern were produced by Tredegar. Tredegar produced four of the 8in Double Banded pattern, in April and May of 1864. Two were known to have been mounted in ironclad warships. Sources differ on the fate of the other two. Some say they were seconded to the Army for coast defense, a not uncommon ultimate use of heavy naval ordnance, or they were bored up to 10in and deployed as smooth-bores. Selma produced seven of the 10in pattern and Tredegar four, all in 1864. And all were deployed as smooth-bores, at least one to an ironclad warship, but most for coast defense. Selma cast twelve 11in Double Banded guns in 1864, all as smooth-bores, but due to the casting problems that plagued their production of heavy guns, only eight were delivered, and all used in coast defense. Tredegar produced two 11in Triple Banded guns as smooth-bores in 1863-64, but their disposition and fate are unknown, and neither has survived. There is something of a legend that Brooke designed the large bore guns as smooth-bores. With the exception of the 6.4in Double Banded Selma guns, the essential difference between a smooth-bore and a rifled gun is the rifling. Armstrong’s 100pdr 9.22in smooth-bore became a 200pdr rifled gun, his 150pdr 10.5in smooth-bore became a 300pdr rifled gun, and his 300pdr 13.3in smooth-bore became the infamous 600pdr rifled gun. And rifled guns could and did fire 5 International Naval Journal, 2019, 7(1) spherical projectiles. Indeed, for close range engagements, solid round shot and cylindrical bolts could and were fired by smooth-bores and rifles. Rifling may be the intent, but it is also an option. From the closing months of 1863 on, the war was going increasingly badly for the Confederacy, and the demand for heavy ordnance greatly exceeded their industry’s ability to produce. It was therefore expedient to forego the weeks or even months required to rifle the Great Guns in the few back-logged rifling facilities. An interesting theory regarding the disposition of some or all of the Selma casting failures, seven 6.4 in and fifteen 7 in guns, is that they were converted into siege howitzers through the expedient of cutting the barrel down to produce an overall length of around 80 inches, boring the shortened barrel to 8in caliber, removing the second band and a hoop from the first, and providing suitable carriages for fortress or field deployment. Such guns were actually purpose built by Tredegar and Bellona for a total of 35 such weapons, from late 1863, with the final gun ‘finished’ in March 1865.